1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention described herein pertain to processes for making nutraceutical compositions for improved administration of phytochemicals from pomegranate to a human or animal and methods of use thereof. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable oral or enteral dosage forms containing phytochemicals from pomegranate in a quantity that reflects that of the natural fruit itself.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pomegranates have a long history of use. The pomegranate is an ancient food native to the Middle East. The historical record shows that it was among the first fruits to be cultivated.
Pomegranates are popularly consumed as fresh fruits, as beverages (e.g., juices and wines), and as food products (e.g., jams and jellies). Commercial sources of pomegranate juice are obtained namely by a hydrostatic pressing process of whole fruits whereby various types of phytochemicals contained within the pomegranate are extracted into juice form.
The consumption of phytochemical-rich diet has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic human illnesses such as certain types of cancers, inflammation, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The pomegranate has recently been acclaimed for its health benefits and for its disease-fighting potential. There are studies concerning associated beneficial effects of pomegranate phytochemicals, including polyphenols, proanthocyanidins, hydrolysable tannins, etc. Hence it is desirable to gain whatever beneficial effects might be present by consuming pomegranate and its phytochemicals. The oral route is the least invasive, most convenient route for administering pomegranate phytochemicals on a routine basis. However, the pomegranate fruit is a difficult fruit to consume and certain pomegranate phytochemicals may lose their health beneficial effects by undergoing chemical reactions into less bioavailable and/or less bioactive forms during processing and storage of juices and extracts.
For example, a major polyphenol antioxidant called punicalagin hydrolyzes into ellagic acid during processing and storage of juices and extracts, its ability to offer antioxidant potency to the body is wasted since free ellagic acid has not been found to be bioavailable. But when punicalagins are preserved and then consumed, they offer the researched health benefits of ellagic acid, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream in this way. Punicalagins are 100% water-soluble, highly bioavailable, and shown to possess a high absorption rate up to 95%. Not only do punicalagins offer antioxidant activity on their own, they can break up into smaller polyphenols that are also absorbed into the body. Punicalagins are one important component of pomegranate polyphenols, but the total composition of the polyphenols themselves is a complex mixture of numerous other components.
Predominant types of pomegranate polyphenolic compounds are hydrolyzable tannins, which are found in the peels (rind, husk, or pericarp), membranes, and piths of the fruit. Hydrolyzable tannins, of which punicalagin is classified, are susceptible to enzymatic and non-enzymatic hydrolysis. Hydrolyzable tannins are gallic acid and ellagic acid esters of core molecules that consist of polyols such as sugars. During hydrolysis, gallotannins yield gallic acid and glucose while ellagitannins yield ellagic acid and glucose. The reported soluble polyphenol content in pomegranate juice varies within the limits of 0.2 to approximately 1.5% and ellagic acid was measured in commercial juices around 100 to 3000 mg/L.
For the reasons above, many of products claiming to contain “natural pomegranate” may in fact lack key ingredients or phytochemicals that may have health beneficial effects. Hence there is a need to find ways to concentrate pomegranate phytochemicals, including polyphenol antioxidants such as punicalagins and its isomers, in their bioavailable and bioactive forms that may be otherwise lost during the processing and storage of juices and extracts.
For at least the limitations described above there is a need for processes for producing an oral or enteral dosage form containing key phytochemicals from pomegranates.